Cigarette machine feed



May 9, 1933.

A. PoDMoRl-z,

CIGARETTE MACHIE FEED Filed Aug. 22; 1929 f INVENTOR TORNEY Patented May9, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR PODMORE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND,ASSIGNOR TO .AMERICAN MACHINE 86 EOUNDRY COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY CIGARETTE MAcnINE FEED Application led August 22, 1929. SerialNo. 387,686.

This invention relates to improvements in a tobacco feed for high speedcigarette machines and constitutes a modification of the feed disclosedin my prior application filed L November 21, 1928, S. N. 320,871, theobject of the modified or additional parts shown in the present feedbeing to adapt the old feed to high speed cigarette machines in which anequally smooth and uniform layer of to- 1G bacco must be supplied to thepassing wrapper, though in much shorter time than for the low speedmachines heretofore in use.

Generally speaking, the floor of the tobacco hopper is, for thispurpose, formed by a carded horizontal belt upon which the tobacco restsand on which it is intermittently pressed against the main feed drum tofill the space between the teeth of the latter. By the forward motion ofthe hopper floor and the rotation of the feed drum, the tobacco in thehopper is given a rotary motion as indicated' bacco so that there willbe an increased relative motion between the feed drum and/the tobacco,and a positive action of the feed drum surface will take place duringthe stopping periods of the hopper floor, the feed drum itself rotating.continuously.

The action of the feed drum and of the two surplus removing drums, inconjunction with the tobacco tamping and leveling means, is the same asin the original tobacco feed and is described in the ferred to. Thetobacco in being taken oil' the feed f drum is thrown b v the pickerroll against '50 an interrupted baiiie composed of equally callyarresting the rotary motion of the to-` previous application re spacedvertical bafie plates. By allowing portions of the tobacco to be thrownthe same distance forward on the delivery belt through the spacesbetween the bailie plates as it would be thrown if they were notpresent, while deflecting'other portions thereof and affecting itsdeposition on the belt on their near side, these plates cause thetobacco to be distribut-l ed over a much greatercombined area of thedelivery vbelt than when they are omitted, since in that case allthe-tobacco would be thrown well forward and an empty space would existon the belt in the rear ofthe present position of the bale plates. The

.ticles or desirable tobacco either pass through the spaces between thebaiie plates and fall '15 directly upon the delivery belt or slide downto the belt along the surface of the plates. The single tobacco streamspassing through t the spaces between the bale plates spread out more orless in going down so that the tobacco forms a continuous and uniformsheet as it is built up on the belt.

The delivery belt forwards the tobaccoto the top of a small slow speedfeed drum from which a picker roll throws the tobacco onto a rapidlyrevolving screw propeller interposed in its path down the chute to thecigarette wrapper running along the cigarette feed channel. Thispropeller turns in a clockwise direction when viewed from the wrapperemerging end of the machine and its pitch and speed are so 'chosen thatthe falling tobacco on striking the propeller is thereby vsus 'thrownforward in the general direction of wrapper travel. Without thispropeller the moment of landing on the same. This, at

high speed, would cause slippage between the tobacco and the paper,resulting in irregular heaping of the tobacco and causing unevendistribution which is detrimental to the formation of a uniformcigarette rod. With the tobacco arriving on the wrapper at the properangle and with the proper speed already imparted to it, it will settleon the paper in an even layer, without slippage, and thus a uniform rodwill result. All of these features of improvement contribute theirproper quot-a of usefulness in adapting the earlier feed for 4use withhigh speed cigarette machines.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification andin which like characters of reference .indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of the improved tobacco feedshowing the location of the tobacco equalizing baiile plates and of thetobacco forwarding propeller in relation to the various picking andsurplus removing fdrums, and illustrating a modified arrangement of thetobacco tamping and leveling means;

Fig. 2 is a partial rear elevation taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1showing the arrangement of operating means for the hopper Hoor; and

Fig. 3 is a partial front elevation taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showingthe arrangement of the baffle plates and of the tobacco directingpropeller.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided a cigarettemachine feed channel along which the paper wrapper runs, mechanismforproducing from. a mass a shower of tobacco. over said channel, and meansfor intercepting the tobacco and imparting to it a movement in thegeneral direction of wrapper travel. In the best constructionscontemplated, the intercepting means includes a rotating spiralpropeller extending along and above said channel, and a suction devicefor removing dust from the shower of tobacco, while the mechanismincludes a series of spaced baffle plates permitting free passage ofportions of the tobacco and deflecting other portions thereof to spreadit over a wider area and produce a more uniform sheet to be showered,and a continuously rotating feed drum and an associated hopper floorintermittently traveling toward said drum. The parts above indicated maybe widely varied in construction Within the scope of the claims, for thedrawing illustrates but one .of numerous possible concrete embodimentsof the invention which, therefore, is not-to be restricted to theprecise details of the illustrated structure shown and described. y

Referring to the drawing: The supply of tobacco T rests on anintermittently moving lof a worm 162 on the main shaft 36 in mesh with aWorm Wheel 163 on the side shaft 160. The crank" 156, by means of a rod164, is connected with the lever 165 which is loosely mounted on thecross sha-ft 1-53 and carries on its end a pawl 166 in engagement with aratchet 167. This pawl and ratchet mechanism intermittently rotates thecross shaft 153 and gives the hopper floor 148 its intermittent movementtoward the feed drum 17. There is therefore a positive non-slipmechanically interlocked driving connection with the belt so that themovement thereof is subject to no variations in extent of movement dueto creeping or slippage.

The feed drum 17 rotates continuously and takes tobacco fromJ thearrested tobacco mass T in the periods while the carded belt 148 lisstationary, delivers the same to the throat formed by the feed drum 17on the. cross shaft 52 and a surplus removing drum 18 on the cross shaft58 where it is compacted by the Atampers 29 pivoted on the cross shaft31, the

oscillating rods 32 on the cross shaft 33.1eveling its surface on theup-stroke of the` tampers. shaft 31 carry a roller engaging theunderside of the curvedportion of the tampers 29,

as shown in Fi 1, thereby providing a lost motion connectlon foractuating the tampers 29 which permits them to move upwardly when theheight of the tobacco mass on the feed drum 17 is increased, and areoperated by ra crank 82 on' the stud 84, the latter being mounted in abearing 85 on top of the tobacco hopper 10 by means of a rod 169.' Thestud 84 carries the sprocket 93 which by means of a chain 94 is drivenfrom a sprocket 170 on a cross shaft 171. This cross shaft carries aslowly moving and coarsely carded feed drum 172 located betweenconvergingwalls 173 and is driven by the shaft 52 of the feed drum,whichshaft has an internal gear 174 in mesh with the gear 175 on-a shortshaft 176 which also carries a worm gear 177 driven by a worm 178 and avertical side shaft 179'. `This vertical side'shaft has a worm wheel180fin mesh with the Worm 181 on the main drive shaft 36. A gear 182 onthe short shaft 17 6 is in mesh with the gear 183 on another short shaft184 and by means The oscillating levers 168 on the cross' of spur gears-185 drives the surplus removing drum 18 on the shaft 58, while a chain186 running over a sprocket 187 on the shaft 58 drives the sprocket 188on the cross shaft 60 which carries the compensating drum 19.

nected by the crossed belt'125 with the pulley 123 on the fan shaft 114and thus drives the fan 22. A pulley 191 on the shaft 114 drives thepulley 124 of the fan shaft 113 by means of a belt 192 and thus drivesthe fan 21. The

1.0 worm 193 on the vertical shaft '179 by means of a worm wheel 194drives a belt shaft 195 through the intermediate gears 196 and 197 f onthe shafts 195 and 198 respectively, the lformer of which `carries thekpulley 199 of the tobacco delivery belt 200. This belt runs over apulley7 .201 on a cross shaft 202 and over'an idler pulley 203.

^ The picker roll 25 throws portions of the A. tobacco directly on anarea of the delivery belt 200 through the spaces between stationarybaiile plates 204, but these plates arrest and deflect other portions ofthe tobacco and cause it to fall on another-area of the belt 200,thereby spreading the tobacco over a greater area and reducing thepercentage of non-uniformity produced in a given length. Heavy particleshitting the plates bounce back and fall between the drum 17 and thepulley 199, while the lighter particles deflected by the plates slidedown the same and fall on the belt. The plates thus also act' partly asa winnower, weeding out, most of.

` the stems and foreign matter. The tobacco which leaves the deliverybelt 200 falls onto a small feed drum 205 on a shaft 206 from which itis taken off by a second picker roll 26 on the shaft 136 andthrown ontoa rapidly rotating screw propeller 207 located within the feed chute 28and along and above the feed channel marked FC. By the action of thepropeller, the tobacco is thrown in the general direction of wrappertravel.

Above the feed drum 205 is located a compression roller 208 which forcesthe tobacco againstthis feed drum. A pulley 209 on the mainshaft 365jbymeans of a belt 210, drives the pulley'211 on the picker roll shaft 136,while pulley 212 on the shaft 195. by means of a belt 213, drives thepulley 214 on the feed drum shaft 206. A spur gear v215 on the shaft 206drives the spur gear 216 of the compression roller shaft 217, while thebelt 218 connects the pulley 219 on the main shaft 36 with a pulley 220on the propeller 221. p A housing 222 partly surrounds the feed drum205. The tobacco hopper 10 is supported by frames 154, 155 and 223.

Suction pipes 224 and225, the formertwo l located at the' ends of thehopper 10 opposite the spaces between the surplus removing drum 19 andthe picker roll 120, and the latter placed in the middle of the chuteand having a funneled head embracing the space between the picker roll26 and the propeller 3 207, are connected to a pump not shown butoperated from the machine drive andserve to collect dust from thetobacco and carry it to a suitable receptacle.

In view of the foregoing, a detailed description of the operation ofthedevice is deemed unnecessary and is, therefore, omitted in the interestof brevity.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a cigarette ma chine feed channel along whichthe paper wrapper runs, of mechanism for producing rom a mass a showerof tobacco-over said channel, and means for intercepting .the tobaccoand imparting to it a movement in the general direction of wrappertravel, said means including a rotating spiral propeller extending alongand above said channel.'

2. The combination with a cigarette machine feed channel along which thepaper wrapper runs, of mechanism for producing from a mass a shower oftobacco over said' channel, and means for intercepting the tobaccoshower before it reaches the channel and'imparting to it a movement inthe general direction of wrapper travel, said means including a rotatingspiral propeller extending alongv vand above said channel and a suctiondevice for removing dust from the show` er of tobacco above saidpropeller.

3. The combination with a cigarette machine feed channel along which thepaper wrapper runs, of vmechanism for producing from amass a shower oftobacco over said channel, and means for intercepting the tobacco andimparting to it a movement in the general direction of wrapper travel,said mechanism including a series of spaced baf- Afle plates permittingfree passage of portions ofthe tobacco and delecting other portionsthereof to 'produce a more uniform sheet to be showered.

4. The combination with a cigarette ma-l chine feed channel' along whichthe paper wrapper runs, of mechanism for producing from a mass a' showerof tobacco over sad channel, andmeans for intercepting the tobacco andimparting to it a movement in the general direction of wrapper travel,said mechanism including a `feed drum, a picker roll therefor, a beltreceiving tobacco from -said roll, and a series of spaced baffle platespermitting free passage of portions ofthe tobacco direct from saidrollto an area on said belt and deflecting other portions thereof to anotherarea on said belt'.

5. The' combination with a cigarette ma-- f bacco shower before itreaches the channel V and imparting to it a movement in the generaldirection of wrapper travel, said mechanism including a'continuouslyrotatmg feed channel, and means for intercepting the tobacco andimparting to -it a movement in the general direction of wrapper travel,said mechanism including a continuously rotating feed drum, and ahopper-floor having rearwardly inclined teeth intermittently travelingtoward said drum.

7. The combination with acigarette machine feed channel along w'hich thepaper wrapper runs, of a rotating spiral propeller extending along andabove said channel for imparting to tobacco delivered to said channel amovement in the general direction of wrapper travel.

8. The combination with a cigarette machine feed drum, of apicker rolltherefor, and a series of spaced baie plates permitting free passage ofportions of the tobacco taken from the drum by said roll and deflectingother portions'thereof to produce a more uniform sheet of tobacco. p

9. The combination with a cigarette machine feed drum, of a picker rolltherefor, a belt receiving tobacco from said roll, and a series ofspaced baile plates permitting free passage' of portions of the tobaccotaken from said drum by said roll direct from said roll to an area on'said belt and deflecting other portions thereof to another area on saidbelt.

10. The combination with a continuously rotating cigarette machine feeddrum, of a hopper Hoor having rearwardly inclined teeth intermittentlytraveling toward said drum.

11. The combination with a continuouslyrotating cigarette machine feeddrum, of a hopper Hoor having rearwardly inclined Y teeth, and a pawland ratchet mechanism for providing an auxiliary supply of tobaccoresting on said drum, a picker roll for finally removing tobacco fromsaid drum, a. carded belt having rearwardly inclined teeth `nonslipconnection with said belt for driving the same toward said drum.

14. In a cigarette machine feed, a hopper, a feed drum therein, a cardedbelt having rearwardly inclined teeth forming the floor of said hopperand means having 'a positive nonslip connection with said belt fordriving the same toward said drum, said means including chains, crossmembers to which said belt is secured and a drive for said chain. 15. Ina cigarette machine feed, a hopper, a feed drum therein, a belt formingthe floor of said hopper and means having a positive nonslip connectionwith said belt for driving the same toward said drum, said meansincluding bars secured to said belt and a chain connected to said .barsto drive said belt.

16. In a cigarette machine feed, a hopper, a feed drum therein, a cardedbelt having rearwardly inclined teeth forming the floor of said hopperand means having a positive nonslip connection with said belt for;driving the same toward said drum, said means includmg transverselyspaced chains, brackets secured to said chains, cross pieces betweensaid chains secured to said brackets, said belt being carried on saidcross pieces.

17. In a cigarette machine feed, a hopper, carded tobacco feeding meanstherein, a picker roll cooperating with said means, a carded belt havingrearwardly inclined teeth forming the floor of saidhopper, and meanshaving a positive nonslip connection with said belt for driving the sametowards said feeding means, said means including transversely spacedchains, cross pieces between said chains, said belt being secured tosaid cross pieces.

18. In a cigarette machine feed, the combi nation with a pivoted tamper,of oscillating levers, and a roller carried by said levers and adaptedto engage said tamper to actuate the same.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR PODMORE forming the floor of said hopper, and means f having apositive nonslip connection with said belt for driving the same towardsaid drum.

13. In a cigarette machine feed, a hopper,

a feed drum therein, a carded belt havingrearwardly inclined teethforming the floor of said hopper and means having a positive

